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S:t Olavsleden 2026
  • Doug Fitzgerald
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  • Doug Fitzgerald

S:t Olavsleden 2026

A pilgrimage following the route taken by Olav Haraldsson on his quest to reclaim the Norse crown in 1030 CE. He fell in battle at Stiklestad on 29 Jul 1030. He is the patron saint of Norway, the Faroe Islands, and Normans. Read more
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  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    The härbre where I stayed

    Rodosundet

    July 11 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Not one of my greatest days at the end. After passing the airport at Froson, the rain eased, but the wind didn't. I kept my rain gear on for wind protection and was glad I did.

    Froson is an island, a large one in a large lake, but getting off the island requires walking over a very long and very high bridge, and there is no pedestrian lane, just the traffic coming at you. They are pretty good at moving over or slowing down if they cannot move over, but it is still a little bit heart in mouth until one has reached the end of the bridge.

    And the mistake not to make was what I did next, and I followed the waymarked pilgrim route for several more kilometres, thinking that I was getting closer to the place where I was going to stay the night, not further away. Even more embarrassing was that they had sent me quite explicit directions about how to walk about 200m further on from the end of the bridge, and not take the rather circuitous route that I eventually followed.

    It was a great place to spend the night, and the next morning, I followed the road back to where I had reached the previous night. That was a little shorter when I knew I was already going to have a long day.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Froso kyrke belltower emerging from the rain
    Froso kyrke

    Froson

    July 11 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Shortly after leaving Vallhalla, it became evident that the rain wasn't going to hold off. I would love to think it was my predictive skills, but more the observation that the two Swedish cyclists who had just passed had dismounted and were donning their rain gear. I already had my rain jacket on, but waited a little while before getting my rain pants out.

    Just before Frosa kyrka, I was joined by a Polish pilgrim, Alexander(?) who had walked from Sundsvall, and I was the first pilgrim he had met. We got out of the rain and had a late morning tea at the Froso pilgrim centre and a nice chat to one of the volunteers. Then it was back into the rain.

    Shortly after passing the airport, a dozen or so young soldiers came jogging past in formation, all carrying large packs surmounted by a bed roll. Not the sort of load I would want to be carrying.

    By this time, the rain was easing, and I was facing a short stretch of the E14 because I was taking the cycling route here, not the hiking route.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Vallhalla

    July 11 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I hadn't quite expected that the home of the Norse gods would have been so quickly turned into a quiet residential suburb and supermarket. But here it is, just outside of Östersund, so I had to stop and check it out. I know shopping can be heaven to some people, but this was a pretty standard ICA supermarket.

    I might need to be careful later, and perhaps avoid Hell in Norway when I get there.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    The pilgrim meditation hut at Pilgrimsgard
    Rita and Connie's houseThis C 1860s grain storage shed has been converted with four bed spaces upstairsIn Rita's gardenIn Rita's gardenAt last, espresso! A pretty good flat white.... and a nice cheese and spinach omelette

    Östersund

    July 9 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Yesterday, I discovered that the medication I had asked to go in the fridge, or so I thought, had actually been put in a freezer. That has ruined what I had carefully prepared to carry for the whole trip. So this morning, I bustled around trying to find a telehealth provider and work out how much it would cost to replace it. It's more than I felt like paying, and I will just have to live without it until Elaine gets to Trondheim with a replacement injection pen.

    With that out of the way, I wandered off to find a nice cafe that served espresso, with an English barista that claimed he could make a flat white, and was right, and which offered a three-egg omelette, which they did very well with a quite nice salad.

    Östersund is clearly a shopping town, or at least the few blocks around the centre of town are. I did some small purchases and some grocery shopping for the next couple of days. I was quite concerned not to overshop, partly because it is not for a couple of days that I face a supermarket free stretch of the trail. I don't want to be lugging stuff for several days unnecessarily, but I also know that I risk not getting to the next supermarket while it is open in the evening.

    I still have not been able to find places to stay that make the next two days a little shorter, which is disappointing, but the places that I have found seem interesting, and the hosts have been nice, even when they haven't had room for me.

    Scott, the pilgrim from Canada, arrived here this afternoon. He was doing long days before Pilgrimstad but would seem to have slowed down a little since then, at least for the moment. He made the interesting mistake of getting an eSIM that did not allow him to call local landlines and mobiles, only VOIP services. I found him sitting outside the locked door, waiting for someone to let him in because he could not contact the hotel from his phone.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Stora kyrkan

    July 9 in Sweden ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    After stamping my Pilgrim Passport, I found the disabled access to the church so that I could get in with my trailer. The church seems to be open for some time during the day over summer. Not all churches have been open for visitors when I have been passing.

    The church building was done in the late 1930s, and it was opened in 1940. The alterpiece is fascinating, with references to several biblical themes, as one might expect.

    Two young women were there welcoming people, and I enjoyed the coffee and chocolate chip cookie they were offering.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Revsunds kirke
    Abandoned cottageThis still has me puzzledRita's DockSomething different

    Pilgrimstad

    July 8 in Sweden ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    I took the advice of Bengt, with whom I stayed last night, and used the cycle/equestrian route from Revsund to Pilgrimstad. It was all road of some description or another. There were some more difficult stretches of freshly spread rock that slowed me down, but overall, it wasn´t overly difficult.

    My overall average walking pace has come up slightly, but hasn´t been improving enough to make the 20 km days I had contemplated seem reasonable. I will have to think about this and do some replanning tomorrow when I get to Östersund.

    Tonight, I am staying at Rita's Dock, the home of Rita and Connie M. They have moved an old farm storage shed from the late 19th C and turned it into a very rustic dormitory with four beds on the upper level and a sitting room and meals area downstairs. The deck outside has some comfortable chairs and a delightful view over the lake.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Something gets hunted here. I wonder what.
    View from my lunch stump.

    Over the lake from Pilgrimstad

    July 8 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    I have found a place to sit for lunch. It's not the most attractive, but the advantage of a bit of cleared forest is that one might find a conveniently located tree stump for a seat.

    I'm not sure whether the mozzies are worse here or on the path through the forest. At least here, any breeze moves them away. That and DEET!Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Why did I even attempt this with the trailer? It got worse!Rocks, tree roots, and uphill. All one could want in a trail with a trailer!When they cannot fit the walking trail between the hill, the road and the railway, walk on the road.A stone culvert crossing a streem.This old Chevrolet has seen better daysMy view of the lake for the nightInside my little cabin.In front of Camp Viking

    Revsund

    July 7 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    It was a bitter morning, but it wasn't raining. Even the birds didn't want to move off the roadway until I got quite close, and then didn't go too far.

    This was the morning where cyclists were encouraged to go along the E14, which I did. I only vaguely remember the hiking alternative from 2018, but it was much prettier and much less noisy. I expect it was also much hillier, and I wouldn't have liked that quite so much.

    I stopped at the service station near Camp Viking and was dismayed that the Viking doesn't seem to have had a touch-up paint job since I was here last. After some administration in Gällö, it was up and over the hill behind the town.

    Once past that, the pilgrim path shares a quite narrow strip between the lake and a steep valley wall with the railway and the main road. There is the occasional access road down to the lake shore on the wider sections, with some cottages and houses close to the lake. But the pilgrim trail here was pretty difficult to negotiate with the trailer and slow going. It eventually came back up to the road and then took a forestry road up into the hills for the last few kilometres.

    My cottage was easy to find, and Bengt welcomed me to one of his small cabins. It was pleasant enough for one, but I could sleep three. There would need to be a roster for moving around to make that work!    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Lunchbreak near Gällö

    July 7 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    The wind is starting to abate, but it's still only about 12°C with a bit of wind chill. I've given up feeling self-conscious about my runny nose for the time being.

    There is a little shelter here next to a cross, which I am avoiding leaving but should do soon.Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Grimnäsvägen 101

    July 6 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Yesterday's rain has been replaced by a bitingly cold wind coming directly down the road for most of the morning. The long wooden bridge that let one avoid the E14 has disappeared in several places, and the cafe/restaurant close by is up for sale and not open.

    So it wasn't an encouraging morning, and one just needed to keep plodding on.

    Which made it a delight to arrive at a wonderful house, Grimnäsvägan 101. Hans let me in, and I just wanted to crash. So I will regret not taking any photos of this place. It is a renovated house based on an 1870s building, and it was immaculate. Spacious and well equipped for at least four people, it left me plenty of room to rattle around a bit.

    A quite delightful end to a tiring day.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Having a break near Svensta

    July 6 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    There has been no rain this morning, but the wind was up and has stayed that way. Most of the time, I hear it moaning through the trees unless I pass a gap along the lake shore when it hasn't been too bad. Some places, it has been coming straight down the road, making walking a bit more difficult.

    But I have just battled across a few hundred metres of a narrow strip of land between two lakes, along which run the railway and the road, and there is not any room left for any trees along the verges. It was tough going, and I'm now having a break and a rest.

    p,s, Shortly after I started walking again, a car pulled over and out came someone who wanted to chat, which we did.

    Then, as soon as I re-started walking, it started to rain, hard enough to make be cover up my trailer and get my rain pants on. And of course, short enough so that once I had done all that, it stopped raining. It was pleasant, though, to have my rain pants keeping the wind out from around my legs.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Gården Eriksburg

    Jul 5–6 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    Staying with Tord at Gården Eriksberg in Mordviken was one of the highlights of my 2018 S:t Olavsleden pilgrimage, and I was looking forward to seeing him again. He was a gracious host then, and I was hoping that hadn't changed. It hasn't.

    The work that he was doing on his house has progressed, and I have a massive room upstairs overlooking the lake. The end of the house he was working on when I arrived in 2018 has been lifted above the soil, and the timbers are no longer at risk of rotting. His workshop has a new concrete floor, and there is a much more finished feel to the house now.

    His older neighbour, with whom we went to collect his fish nets, is now nearly 90 and no longer very active, which was sad but not surprising.

    Tord had another neighbour over for dinner, a retired teacher. It was a delightful meal, simple as it was, and demostrated Tord's skill as a cook.

    After dinner, I asked if he could look at the bracket I had made for the trolley, which had not survived the journey across intact. He glued the errant piece back in place and replaced what had turned out to be too flimsy nails with a couple of more substantial screws.

    It was a very productive evening for me, and I retired quite happy with the day.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    The railway station at Fransta

    Bräcke

    July 5 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    It was pouring down when I got off the train and didn't let up until I got my pack covered up and my wet weather gear on. Not that it made all that much difference - when it eased, it was not for much and not for long.

    I needed to do some shopping for dinner tomorrow night, but not much more than that. I had already done a little shopping before leaving Fransta, but didn't know then that the place I was staying at tomorrow only provided breakfast.

    So the highlight of my visit to Bracke was a visit to the COOP.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Cabins by the river
    Kyrke at LillbodaBell tower? LillbodaTorpshammerStayed here in 2018Torpsikyrka, FranstaPilgrim stamp boxPrevious entry in the pilgrim stamp bookEntry in the pilgrim stamp book at Fransta this yearLittle chapel at Byn

    Byn

    July 4 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    This was a long day, not helped by getting away late from Boda Borg. It was a relatively short walk into Torpshammar, where I had a break and a bite to eat. Then the next leg, to Fransta, seemed to drag, although there were some very interesting 1960s-era American two door coupes to break up the stream of Volvos, Mercs and Beemers.

    The pilgrim lodging is in an old chapel. Perhaps the priest's house in its day, a long time ago. I had the choice of six beds, but only one had a power point, which eliminated the notre comfortable looking ones.

    I'll walk back into Fransta in the morning to catch the train,    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Richard's house - a welcome sight
    Driveway markerMy destination for the nightEntering ÅngeThe adventure house

    Boda Borg

    July 3 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    It seems drying my wet gear in my room was responsible for the fire alarm being activated during the night. Scott, the other pilgrim staying there, and I got ourselves out of the building, and a passerby called the emgergency contact, Stephan, who came and reset the alarm. When he contacted the fire brigade, they let him know that drying clothes have been known to trigger the alarms, so we moved my still damp gear into the hallway.

    I would have preferred that it were ghosts, but it seems the stories of the building being haunted by some past inhabitants are just a little over-rated. It had started life as residential accommodation for children who had learning difficulties. One of the former principals may not have left!

    Today, it is part of a network of the Boda Bork network of adventure centres promoting problem solving through structured games.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Entering Ånge

    July 3 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    It's been raining. Not a downpour but a steady, persistent sort of rain that fades every so often but never gives up.

    There is a rest area here, and a pilgrim bench, a pilegrimsofan, as well as a picnic table. That all makes it a nice place to take a few minutes break.Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Entrance to Huberget
    View across StödeStöde kyrkeA rather faded St Olavsleden waymark

    Huberget

    Jul 1–6 in Sweden ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    This is a folk museum comprising some 16 buildings that have been moved here by the local historical association, housing the other elements of the museum's collection, or supporting the cultural activities that take place here, mainly during summer. Even though it wasn't open, it is possible to wander around outside the buildings and take in the view across Stöde from the summit.Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Stöde Form - gallery & cafe
    Alter in Stöde KyrkaPulpit in Stöda KyrkaSt Olav

    Stöde Form

    June 30 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Earlier today, I listened to the same story, or some minor variation of it, that I have heard for the past four days. And it never ends with 'your bag is going to arrive tonight'.

    So I am staying an extra night.

    Today's little walk has taken me across to a little gallery cum cafe for tea and pie as my first stop. They have an extensive collection from local artists, and I browsed through some of the prints. Lots of snow, antics on snow, animals in snow, ... you get the drift.

    Then, back down to Stöde Kyrka to look inside and take a couple of pictures there, before heading back to my cabin.

    For those following the bag saga, it appears to have been in Paris. They tell me it will be in Arlanda at midnight. I will be relieved when I can actually physically reach out and touch it.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    An unplanned rest day

    June 29 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Today, I am taking a rest day. My two checked bags didn't arrive in Arlanda (Stockholm) with me, and only one has been delivered. The bag with the hiking trailer is still delayed, and no-one seems to quite know where it is. The baggage handling company managing this assures me they are looking hard, but the last time they told me it was on its way, four days ago, it ended up in Abu Dhabi!

    There was a coffee shop recommended to me, which was on the far side of town from where I am staying at Stode Camping. Not that it was a particularly long walk, but when I got there, it doesn't open on Mondays. So now I am having a brewed coffee at a pizza place because at least it is open.

    Next is to get back and collect my washing and get it out to dry while it is still sunny.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Pilgrim rest stop
    The first log building I have seen on this tripPilgrim benchBethel, in FanbynStöde kyrkeEight years ago to the dayArriving at Stöde CampingPicked from the meadow by my host to make the cottage a little brighter

    Stöde

    June 28 in Sweden ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    I left Lövåson going downhill along the old entry road to the house. It was tree-lined for a short distance, then opened up into a meadow. Shortly after, the vehicle path disappeared in one direction, but there was a walking path in the other direction down to a neighbours house, which led to a steepish driveway coming up from the Skölevägen, the road along the lake. This made much shorter work of getting down to the road.

    I seem to have developed a knack for stopping for a break just a few hundred metres short of a seat or picnic table placed along the side of the road for weary pilgrims. Then, when I worked out that there was a 'Swish & Take' ahead where I might have been able to get a drink and snack, the trolley wasn't out for business!

    I tried to be a little more disciplined about snacking and eating today, and that seemed to work at keeping my energy levels up. Nonetheless, I haven't been getting good rest, so towards the end of the day, I really do start to have to focus.

    After a quick visit to the supermarket, I wandered slowly down here to Stöde Camping, and now have a hut to myself.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Lövåsen

    June 27 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Tonight, I am staying in a stuga built in 1937 and still in the same family. The kitchen faces onto an open rectangular meadow, maybe 200m long, that is backed by forest rising up to the top of a ridge. Robert, the owner, was here with a friend when I arrived, getting the place ready and leaving my dinner and breakfast. Moose do inhabit the forest, but they are hunted, and so I am going to enjoy elk stew for dinner.

    Today, I walked with a small pack, Tobias, who runs Bellmangården, kindly offered to bring my big pack here, and I was glad to take that up. There is a little bit of asphalt leaving Matfors, but most of the day was walking on grisvei, the compacted earth road, and a little bit of gravel road in the forest at the end. It is generally in good condition, but my legs were still suffering after doing nearly 41,000 steps yesterday, and a little over 25,000 more today wasn't helping.

    Farms and forests alternated along the side of the road, with what might have been week-enders and caravan sites as the road got closer to the lake. There was a delightful little beach shortly before the road into where staying turned off. It was a pretty steep climb on a rocky gravel road for about a kilometre, followed by a few hundred metres of nice, smooth gravel, then a couple of hundred metres of dirt road through the forest and beside the meadow out the front of the house.

    The long stretches of grisvei are not without some charm. There was birdsong throughout the day and little streams burbling down towards the lake.

    Late in the day, I met a fellow pilgrim, Josef, from Germany. He was coming back, having overshot his accommodation for the night.

    Now for a shower, and to try some elk for dinner.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    Selangor kyrke (the new one)
    They've seen better daysDidn't stop here this year. Should have!Entering the forestEvery down will have its upThe first gapahukSomeone's work shelter, I guess

    Vattjom

    June 26 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The difficulty with delaying what one was doing several days ago is that some of the details have faded.

    Vattjom had one big advantage for me. After several hours of walking, there was a service station with coffee and cake. It was at the far end of long stretch of road that I had come to after a short, really pleasant section of the trail through a bit of forest. That had broken the monotony of walking on the asphalt and grisvei that had dominated earlier.

    I had watched my navigation app keep adjusting my arrival time as I started to slow down and take more short, standing, breaks. So I knew it was time to get off my feet for a little while. So coffee and cake, even in a pretty ordinary service station, was a good option, and I took it.    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler

    Leaving Sundsvall

    June 26 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    In the space of a few hours, I went from thinking that I would be rejoined with my luggage later today, to realizing nothing of the sort would happen.

    This news came in discrete little packages from different people, none of whom seemed to have the full picture, or at least be able to explain it simply. It's even difficult for me, trying to recount this the next day, to recall the exact sequence of phone calls and their content.

    What became clear was that one, not both, bags was on its way to Ostersund and would be delivered from there to a place of my choosing. This is itself a dilemma because I am not staying in hotels, but one night will be in a hut on someone's farm, and I would rather not have it getting to the wrong place.

    Next came the call from someone in Abu Dhabi wanting to know what I wanted to do with my bag now that it had been returned there from Paris. At least that explained why the woman in Ostersund only had the one bag. At least he understood that it needed to get back onto its orginal routing, and be sent to Arlanda, where it could then be sent on to me.

    The result is that I now have a far larger backpack, a size thought I would never carry again. I took the bus to the Pilgrim Centre at Selangar, and started walking. That's all grist for a later entry!    Read more

  • Doug FitzgeraldS:t Olavsleden 2026Traveler
    The new Selangor kyrke
    Not everything is pretty and greenThe first, I expect of many log piles that I will see along the wayA SWISH and go store

    Bellmangården

    June 26 in Sweden ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Leaving Sundsvall took a little longer than I anticipated. I had been told by Menzies Aviation, the baggage company handling getting my bags back to me, that they would be delivered today, and I had nominted Bellmangården as the delivery address. When I was contacted by the baggage services at Abu Dhabi to tell me my bag had been returned there. More, it was my hiking trailer. This made everything much more complicated.

    I wasn't going to be able to fit everything I needed for the next few days into the little daypack I had carried on the plan, I estimated that I could manage with a bag around 50li, but it seemed to be an odd size for the local outdoors store, and I ended up buying a larger Osprey, similar in size to the bag I had walked with in 2018. Too big once I had my hiking trailer, but there was no immediate prospect of that, so I had to get something that would work for the next few days. The complications this might create in a few days would have to be dealt with later.

    Once that had been set up, I took the bus to Selånglor, where I wanted to start my pilgrimage.    Read more